(Photo found here.)My first encounter with Valerie June came a few years back when I was searching YouTube for the song "Tribulations" by Estil C. Ball, specifically, the version recorded by Alan Lomax that appeared on Sounds of the South. In the process, I ran across June's take on the song from her 2013 album Pushin' Against a Stone. On the basis of that one song, my brain's music catalogue threw her into the folkie category. It also put her on the to investigate later list. While I was intrigued, I was also immersed in other things so giving her music a proper listen ended up on the back burner.
Back in the spring of this year I heard that she had a new album out called The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers. My interest in exploring her work was then moved to a front burner. I discovered that there is more - much more - to Valerie June than covering old spirituals. Instead of sparse arrangements, The Moon and Stars is full of finely crafted songs layered with sonic goodness. They encompass many musical styles with June's gorgeous voice taking center stage. There's folk, R&B, psychedelia, pop, and much more.
A brief encounter with the album had me hooked and led me to buying tickets to one of her concerts and my wife and I saw her back in May. It was a wonderful show.
The Moon and Stars has many great songs on it and the one that's been my earworm lately is "You and I".
It opens a cappella with June vocalizing in layered harmony before her twangy voice tenderly croons, "You and I, wait for each other". A little hi-hat and rim shot work shifts to a stuttering rhythm as June's voice bursts forth majestically for the chorus. I mean it really soars and will send a shiver down your spine. Horns eventually appear and the song goes out with an Afrobeat-flavored coda.
Considering it's a song about a time "When the love left just a friendship", June never lingers on the wistful for long and instead renders the transformation of a relationship into a joyous occasion.
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